DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to motor starters. More specifically, the disclosure relates to a sandwich slider mechanism for a tripping mechanism in a motor starter.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A motor starter is an electrical device that is utilized to start and stop a motor securely. The motor starter, like a relay, turns the flow of electricity on and off, but unlike a relay, the motor starter also protects against low voltage, overcurrent, overload, and over-heating.

Typically, the motor starter includes a tripping mechanism which protects the motor and the motor starter from low voltage, overcurrent, overload, and over-heating. Conventionally, motor starters are deployed in high load applications that require a tripping mechanism in a motor. The tripping mechanism of the motor starter is used for tripping the motor starter to protect the motor starter from overload and faults. The existing tripping mechanism requires two metallic plates, along with a bimetallic strip, a rotatory shaft, and a plurality of screws. The existing tripping mechanism has various faults and can be improved to perform with better efficiency. Since the existing slider mechanism does not have constraints and unrestricted movement of the existing slider mechanism can often damage the tripping mechanism, an improved design of the slider mechanism is desirable.

Considering the foregoing discussion, it is desirable to eradicate the issues of the existing tripping mechanism of the motor starter and provide an improved slider mechanism for the tripping mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

The primary function of a motor starter is to start and stop the motor to which the motor starter is connected. The inclusion of a motor overload protection feature is the primary distinction between a relay and the motor starter. Therefore, the motor starter serves to protect the motor from overload or faults and to regulate the power of the motor manually or automatically.

A tripping mechanism is built into the structure to shield the motor starter from overloads and faults. A tripper, a slider, a ceramic plate, a calibrating grub screw, a braided wire, a bimetallic strip, and other components make up the tripping mechanism.

The present disclosure relates to a sandwich slider mechanism for the tripping mechanism of the motor starter. The sandwich slider mechanism is constructed to restrain the unnecessary movement of the slider in the tripping mechanism. The sandwich slider mechanism also enables the smooth working of the tripping mechanism. The slider is sandwiched between a retainer and the housing base to create the sandwich slider mechanism. The sandwich slider mechanism is designed to allow the slider to be held in place by means of the interlocks.

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1a illustrates a motor starter including a tripping mechanism, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 1b illustrates a slider from the tripping mechanism, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 2 illustrates a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the tripping mechanism of the motor starter, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

For example, the term “some” as used herein may be understood as “none” or “one” or “more than one” or “all.” Therefore, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would fall under the definition of “some.” It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and therefore, should not be construed to limit, restrict, or reduce the spirit and scope of the present disclosure in any way.

For example, any terms used herein such as, “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and similar grammatical variants do not specify an exact limitation or restriction, and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated. Further, such terms must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated, for example, by using the limiting language including, but not limited to, “must comprise” or “needs to include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do not preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language including, but not limited to, “there needs to be one or more…” or “one or more elements is required.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements of the present disclosure. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of explaining one or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the proposed disclosure fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms including, but not limited to, “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or other variants thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and/or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one or more features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or in the context of more than one embodiment, or in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Any particular and all details set forth herein are used in the context of some embodiments and therefore should not necessarily be taken as limiting factors to the proposed disclosure.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For the sake of clarity, the first digit of a reference numeral of each component of the present disclosure is indicative of the Figure number, in which the corresponding component is shown. For example, reference numerals starting with digit “1” are shown at least in Figure 1. Similarly, reference numerals starting with digit “2” are shown at least in Figure 2.

Figure 1a illustrates a motor starter 100 including a tripping mechanism 300, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The primary function of the motor starter 100 is to start and stop the motor to which the motor starter 100 is connected. The motor starter 100 includes motor overload protection which is the primary distinction between a relay and the motor starter 100. Therefore, the motor starter 100 serves two purposes: to protect the motor from overload or faults and to regulate the power of the motor manually or automatically.

Depending on the rating and size of the motor, the motor starters 100 are available in a variety of ratings and sizes. In addition to preventing the motor from drawing excessive currents, the motor starter 100 switches the necessary power to the motor in a secure manner. In an embodiment, the motor starter 100 disclosed herein is a dual rivet type motor starter 100.

In an embodiment, the one or more switches 102, 104 may include a first switch 102 and a second switch 104 to actuate and operate the motor in one of an ON state and an OFF state. Further, the rocker arm 114 may be coupled with the one or more switches 102, 104. The rocker arm 114 operates based on the actuation status of the one of the switches 102, 104. Further, the rocker arm 114 may operate on a contact bridge as per the actuation status of the one of the switches 102, 104. For an instance, when one of the first switch 102 and the second switch 104 is pressed, then the rocker arm 114 operates to either establishes a connection to switch ON the motor or breaks the connection to switch OFF the motor. Further, in some scenarios, the continuous operation in the motor may lead to flow/generation of the overcurrent which generates excessive heat in the motor which may damage the motor.
Alternatively, excessive, or unrestrained sliding motion of the slider 200 may damage the motor. Therefore, the provision of the sandwich slider mechanism 200 hereinafter interchangeably referred to as the slider 200 in the tripping mechanism 300 eliminates such problems. In an embodiment, the slider 200 has been incorporated into the tripping mechanism 300 by executing a sandwich structure and hence is interchangeably referred to as the sandwich slider mechanism 200. The sandwich slider mechanism 200 is fabricated by placing the slider 200 in between a retainer 112 and a housing base 110. The sandwich slider mechanism is built with the intention to constrain the movement of the slider 200 and hold the slider 200 in place using a plurality of interlocks 202 as illustrated in Figure 1b.

Figure 1b illustrates a slider 200 from the tripping mechanism 300, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The slider 200 is a component deployed in the tripping mechanism 300 to activate the off switch of the tripping mechanism 300 further opening the circuit due to overheating. The slider 200 includes the plurality of interlocks 202, a tripper rib cutout section 204, and a ceramic plate 206. The plurality of interlocks 202 are used to hold the slider mechanism in place while the motor starter 100 is functioning in an ON condition and is released when the motor starter 100 trips and thus the slider 200 unlocks and further opens the circuit to stop the flow of current. In an embodiment, the interlocks 202 extend in an upward direction relative to the base such that the at least two interlocks 202 are adapted to removably couple the retainer 112 to the slider 200. Moreover, in an exemplary implementation, each interlock 202 has a hook shape for securely coupling the slider 200 to the retainer 112 and restricts the movement of the slider 200 relative to the retainer 112.

The tripper rib cutout section 204 is a cutout section designed and constructed in the middle of the slider 200. The tripper rib cutout section 204 is designed to hold the tripper 108 and tripper ribs in spring loading suppressed condition while the motor started is in ON condition. After the tripping takes place, the slider 200 unlocks by releasing the plurality of interlocks 202 and releases the tripper 108. The ceramic plate 206 is a design feature installed to bridge the gap between the bimetallic strip 116 and the slider 200. In an embodiment, the ceramic plate 206 is affixed to a hook shaped end proximal to the at least two interlocks 202 such that the ceramic plate 206 is adapted to engage with a bimetallic strip 116 of the motor starter 100. Moreover, the ceramic plate 206 relays the heating condition from the bimetallic strip 116 to the slider 200. Further, the slider 200 is placed in a sandwich structure to control the erratic movement of the slider 200. As such, the slider 200 is disposed between the retainer 112 and a housing base 110 of the motor starter 100. The plurality of interlocks 202 are further required to hold the slider 200 in place with regards to the retainer 112. The retainer 112, further has a plurality of slots (not shown) to lock the plurality of interlock and hence the slider 200 in place. The housing base 110 also plays an integral role to maintain the position of the slider 200 as the housing base 110 provides the required support from below the slider 200.

Figure 2 illustrates a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the tripping mechanism 300 of the motor starter 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In order to protect the motor starter 100 from overloads and faults, a tripping mechanism 300 is incorporated into the motor starter 100. The tripping mechanism 300 includes a braided wire, a bimetallic strip, the tripper 108, the slider 200, the ceramic plate 206, the retainer 112, the housing base 110, and a calibrating grub screw 106. The tripping mechanism 300 of the motor starter 100 begins when the heat from the rivet is transported to the bimetallic strip 116. Further, the actuation begins which bends the bimetallic strip 116 due to the heat. The calibrating grub screw 106 succours the bimetallic strip 116 to trip after a predetermined load value is attained. The bimetallic strip 116 jostles the slider 200 which in turn releases the tripper 108, which in return flips the rocker arm 114. This further, flips the moving contact, due to which the contact breaks and the system trips.

The present disclosure provides various advantages including:
1. The sandwich slider mechanism 200 restrains the slider 200 to avoid any erratic movements.
2. The sandwich slider mechanism 200 can be easily manufactured as the production does not have any complications.
3. The production of the sandwich slider mechanism 200 is a cost-efficient alternative to the currently used tripping mechanism 300.

While specific language has been used to describe the present disclosure, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.
,CLAIMS:1. A slider (200) for a tripping mechanism of a motor starter (100), the slider comprising:
a tripper rib cutout section (204) defined in a base of the slider (200), the tripper rib cutout section (204) adapted to accommodate a tripper (108);
at least two interlocks (202) extending in an upward direction relative to the base, the at least two interlocks (202) adapted to removably couple a retainer (112) to the slider (200); and
a ceramic plate (206) affixed to a hook shaped end proximal to the at least two interlocks (202), the ceramic plate (206) adapted to engage with a bimetallic strip (116) of the motor starter (100).

2. The slider (200) of claim 1, wherein each interlock (202) has a hook shape for securely coupling the slider (200) to the retainer (112) and restricting movement of the slider (200) relative to the retainer (112).

3. The slider (200) of claim 2, wherein the slider (200) is disposed between the retainer (112) and a housing base (110) of the motor starter (100).

4. A motor starter (100), comprising:
one or more switches (102, 104) adapted to trigger one of an ON condition and an OFF condition of the motor starter (100);
a plate adapted to support the one or more switches (102, 104) and separate the one or more switches (102, 104) from components of a tripping mechanism enclosed within a housing;
the housing comprising:
an inner rocker arm (114) adapted to alternate between an upward motion and a downward motion upon actuation of the one or more switches (102, 104);
a tripping mechanism comprising a slider (200), the slider (200) comprising:
a tripper rib cutout section (204) defined in a base of the slider (200), the tripper rib cutout section (204) adapted to accommodate a tripper (108);
at least two interlocks (202) extending in an upward direction relative to the base, the at least two interlocks (202) adapted to removably couple a retainer (112) to the slider (200); and
a ceramic plate (206) affixed to a hook shaped end proximal to the at least two interlocks (202), the ceramic plate (206) adapted to engage with a bimetallic strip (116) of the motor starter (100).

5. The motor starter (100) of claim 4, wherein each interlock (202) has a hook shape for securely coupling the slider (200) to the retainer (112) and restricting movement of the slider (200) relative to the retainer (112).

6. The motor starter (100) of claim 4, wherein the slider (200) is disposed between the retainer (112) and a housing base (110) of the motor starter (100).

7. The motor starter (100) of claim 4, wherein the inner rocker arm (114), the retainer (112), and the slider (200) are enclosed within the housing.

8. The motor starter (100) of claim 4, wherein the motor starter (100) is a dual rivet type motor starter.